Iran’s foreign minister, Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, has stated that Tehran is ready to accept strict monitoring and limits on its uranium enrichment programme in return for the lifting of sanctions. In an article for the Guardian, Araghchi urged European nations to abandon plans to reinstate UN sanctions, warning that failure to do so could have “unprecedentedly destructive” consequences for the region and beyond.
Araghchi argued that Europe would not benefit from triggering the snapback of sanctions, as it would leave the United States in control of any future nuclear negotiations and isolate Europe. He claimed that the three European powers—France, Germany and the UK—had made a mistake by shifting from mediators to “facilitators of America’s excesses.”
The foreign minister noted progress in talks with UN weapons inspectors regarding their return to Iran’s nuclear sites, a condition Europe had set for deferring the snapback. However, Iran’s conservative-dominated parliament is considering a bill that would require Iran to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty if UN sanctions are restored, which would end independent access to its nuclear facilities.
Araghchi also criticised European leaders for believing that being tough on Iran would win them favour with US President Donald Trump. He warned that reimposing sanctions would exclude Europe from future diplomatic processes and damage its global credibility. Referring to Israel, he said that if Israel were to launch a new conflict, it would be forced to turn to the US for help, as seen in June.
